Sunday, July 27, 2014

Earlier generations have said that "You are what you wear" but that doesn't seem to apply in the software industry wear billionaires are seen in the media with hardly a jacket, let alone a tailored suit and tie.

Everybody thinks that they too can be just as successful and, of course, you want to fit in with peers, so most dress down in comparison with other professions.

But what is the effect on the individual? We can't all be Steve Jobs. Most of us will end up in the median of the profession. Could we do better if we valued ourselves higher and signalled that to our employers by a mass change in our attire?

We have already seen that large tech companies have been found guilty of colluding to hold back our wages; and that Software outsourcing is not the panacea it was wished to be. Managers know that it can be difficult to recruit good developers too.

So, in this capitalist environment we find ourselves in, maybe we should follow the legal profession and recognise that, in some ways, we are what we wear, and to our employers - currently, they are happy for us to wear jeans.